The Architecture of Kuntur Wasi: Construction Sequence and Chronology of a Ceremonial Center of the Formative Period

Abstract

The excavations in the archaeological site of Kuntur Wasi, carried out from 1988 to 2002 by the Japanese Archaeological Mission, have clarified, in detail, the architectural sequence of this ceremonial center in the northern highlands of Perú during the Formative Period. The authors have established nine architectural sub-phases at the site. According to our analyses, at the beginning of the Kuntur Wasi phase, the "basic construction principle" of the temple was established. This is composed of three architectural elements, which were maintained until the second sub-phase of the Copa phase. However, in the last sub-phase of the Copa phase the importance of the "basic construction principle" was lost. During the Sotera phase, Kuntur Wasi no longer functioned as a ceremonial center. The results of our analysis of the architectural sequence at Kuntur Wasi offer a point of reference for discussing social processes of the Formative Period in the Central Andes within a broader context.